Shopping and Gas the First Week of June: Toilet Paper Inflation, Ack!

I didn't shop for food this week, but I did put in an order for bathroom tissue. I'm sure you've noticed the price on even this necessity is going up and up. What I used to buy at Walmart for $9.02 just 2 years ago is now selling for $11.24. That's a shocking 25% increase in price! So I began hunting around for a better deal on TP. I found shipping-only Kroger brand (I was buying Great Value brand) priced at $10.79, when price adjusted for the same amount as in the Walmart package. I ordered the limit and added 2 more items that I could get through Fred Meyer for less than my other stores, so I could get free shipping. So my inflation rate on the bathroom tissue will be 19%. It's sad that I'm considering this "good."

In our one-car household, we share the cost of gas by alternating who fills the tank. Because my daughters drive more than my husband and I combined, we've divided up the responsibility by three (daughter 1, daughter 2, husband/I combined). Just 2 years ago, our agreed upon amount was $30 per turn. A year ago August, we increased that to $40 per turn. Just this week, we upped that amount to $50 per turn. Mind you, this does NOT fill the tank. 2 years ago, $50 would overflow our car's fuel tank. We now get about 2/3 of a tank. It was a daughter's turn to pay for gas. Gas is zooming toward $6 a gallon in my area. It's $5.79 at the 7-11 in my town and $5.89 at the Chevron and Shell! Costco has been my benchmark for cheap gas (although we don't have membership so don't buy our gas there). This week, Costco's lowest octane unleaded is $5.19/gallon, up 30 cents/gallon in the last 2 weeks. To allow for the inflation on gas, we are trying to drive less, but also cutting back in other areas of spending. Interesting -- gas is cheaper inside the Seattle city limits than it is here, about 20 miles north, and then cheaper if I drive another 20 miles north of us.

100 Days, 100 Harvests

rhu-sins, dried sweetened rhubarb  recipe in this link

I'm doing this thing where I'm trying to harvest something, anything, and put it away for next fall or winter, 6 days a week for about 100 days or 3 and 1/2 months. I began in late May, harvesting some greens to freeze, dehydrate, or can. I've since added herbs and dried sweetened rhubarb that I can use in place of dried cranberries.

chive blossoms to freeze for use in cooking later

I know that as the summer progresses, I'll have even more to harvest. My intent is to not only spread out my harvesting and food preservation, but also to get me to start thinking of all of the food available on my property and see new sources of edibles as well as notice the foods that I often overlook until much later in the season. By the end of September, I hope to have put away enough produce to get us through early to mid-winter.

bundle of 20 grape leaves, tied up with thread, blanched, frozen, and thawed ready for stuffing

When it comes to preserving the harvest, I tend to think about the "regular" garden veggies, like green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, and the like. Yet, as I've discovered, there are so many other "fruits" and "veggies" that can be preserved. Two years ago, I decided to try freezing grape leaves. I roll a bunch up, tie with string, then "blanch" in the microwave. I then bag them up and keep in the freezer. They work well for stuffed grape leaves later in winter. This year, I decided that in addition to making chive blossom vinegar, I'd also freeze some whole blossoms to add a pop of spring in cooking when the garden is asleep. 

my latest experiment -- rose "lemonade" no lemons involved

Earlier this week, I'd read about making rose "lemonade" by steeping rose petals in water for a couple of days then sweetening. I've got a jar going. If I like the flavor, I'll be harvesting and dehydrating a bunch of rose petals to use later in the year. While walking the perimeter of the yard this afternoon, I noticed the black currant leaves. They look fresh and bright green. I think I'll pick a few handfuls tomorrow to use in hot tea when the weather chills. They're rich in vitamin C.

100 days, more or less, for at least 100 harvests. This is part of my plan to get more out of my garden this year than I did last year.